Process for reducing the size of pictures on kinematograph-films and of projecting such pictures to their normal proportions.



E. ZOLLINGER. PROCESS FOR REDUCING THE $IZE 0F PICTURES ON KINEMATOGRAPHFILMS AND OF PROJEUTING SUCH PICTURES TO THEIR NORMAL PROPORTIONS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 22, 1910. 1,032, 172. Patented July 9, 1912.

n nnnuun UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE;

EnNEsTo zoLLINGnIt; or T RI'N, ITALY.

rnocnss ron nnnocme THE SIZE or rrc'runns- ON KINEMATOGBAPH-FILMS AND.on

- PBOJEGTINGISUCH PICTURES TO THEIR NORMAL. PROPORTIONS.

Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed March 22. 1910.Serial No. 550,915.

Patented .mlye, more.

To all-whom it may concern:

' Be it known that I, ERNESTO ZoLLINqER, a citizen of Switzerland,residing at Turin, in the Kingdom of Italy, have inventeda new anduseful Process for Reducing the Size of Pictures onKine'matograph-Film's andof Projecting such Pictures to Their NormalProportions, of which the followingis a specification.

Kinematograph films at present. in use generally consist of celluloidbands or ribbons having a width of about mm. and

a forward movement of about 19 mm and the size of the pictures on themis usually 25 mm. in width and a height equal to the forward movement ofthe band, namely 19 mm. These films are long and expensive, and there isno other practical way of reducing their cost than that of reducing thesize of the individual pictures upon the films, since any reduction ofthe films in;

width, or the extent of their movement would entail a change, or ratheran important modification of the machines now in use, which it isnaturally desirable to avoid.

The present invention has for its object size, namely 25 mm. by 9.50 mm.by reducing its width. 2. The picture on the film is,

reduced to one-half the size, namely 12.50 mm. by 19 mm. b reducing itsheight.

In both cases t e size and shape of the projected picture when used inmachines as used at present would no longer be in proportion to thecustomary projections, as it would only cover one-half ofthe field onthe screen, either vertically or horizontally. This is avoided'in myinvention by employing an ordinary deformer such as is well known andused in photography, the deformation being produced either bycylindrical lenses or by one or several prisms, comblned. The procedureis as follows:

the first place the deformnr is inserted into the optical system of themachine employed for taking the pictures. It is, of'course, possible toreduce the pictures to any dimensions, but for the. reasons previouslystated, a deformer will be chosen giving just a. half reduction of oneof the sides relatively to the other. According to the arran ement givento the deformer in this machme there will be obtained a deformation inheight (vertical) or in width (horizontal) of the picture, that is tosay a reduction to one-half its area without in any way diminishing thephotographic field, 2". e. the amplitude of the scene which it isdesired to reproduce. These pictures thus deformed. when developed andthe positives made therefrom, will be projected by employing the same ora like deformer, said deformer added to the objective of the projectingapparatus, thus producing an 'inverse and equal deformation to theoriginal one, and consequently obtaining on the screen projectedpictures of the normal size and undeformed;

In the accompanying drawingFigure 1 shows an'ordinary film, Fig. 2 showsa'negative film obtained in accordance with the present'invention, wherethe deformed pictures have been reduced to one half: their height, and,Fig. 3' shows a corresponding positive film.

In the case referre :to in which the pictures occupy aspace mm. by 9.50mm., their arrangement on theifil'm, will be as follows: The forwardmovement of the film in cameras at present in use being about 19 mm.

that is to say, double the height of the pictures, it will be necessaryto employ a shield or screen of one-half the usual height, so that therewill remain upon the negative film, between eachtwo consecutivepictures,

depicted by the hatching a, an empty space b (Fig. 2), that is .to say,an interval not exposed, of the same heightas the pictures f the samedirection.

themselves.

The positive film (Fig. 3) 1s then made from one, two, or several suchnegatives. First one of these negatives 1s prlnted by an apparatushaving a forward movement of 19 mm, after having modified the frame tothe height of the negative image. Then the positive film is displacedrelat vely to the negative a distance equal to one-half its travel, (twoholes, for there are usually four holes in the total height of thepicture of an ordinary film,) and the second part of the negative isprinted upon the empty spaces or intervals not expose either reversed orin The projecting apparatus moves this printed positive film the normaldistance for each exposure, 2'. 6., double the he1ght of a picture onit, and will be provided w1th a corresponding shield or screen, so thatin the first operation the pictures a having odd numbers will beprojected on the screen, and in the second operation those having evennumbers designated 0 in Fig. 3 will be projected, or vice versa, andaccordingto one or both of the cases indicated the projections of thetwo series (generally two different scenes) will commence either at thesame end of the film or at opposite ends.

If it were desired to have the pictures of one scene consecutive on thefilm, it would be necessary to change, reduce to half, the amount ofmovement upon all projecting machines if the existing system ofperforation be retained, or to adopt a new system of perforatlon inconformity to the reduced height of the pictures on the new films, forexample, one hole for each picture oneach side, that is to say a systemof perforation in which the holes are double the distance apart of thosenow in use.

In the second case above indicated in which the pictures are reduced toone-half width, namely 12.50 mm. by 19 mm. the negatives are copied onthe longitudinal half of the film, right or left. Thus a positive filmis obtained by printing the two halves of the negative over the twolongitudinal halves of the positive film, reversed in direction or not,as desired. There will thus be obtained on the same film two columns ofpictures, representing generally two different scenes. This factsometimes presents in conveniences, especially when selling or lendingfilms, as it causes'an increase in price, so that it is desirable not tohave two columns of pictures upon the same-film, as in the case abovedescribed. This is remedied by cutting these ositives longitudinallyinto two .on their median line forming the vertical separation of thesetwo scenes. Thus two positives are obtained,

their sides.

each of one-half width, furnished with a sin 1e row of perforations ononly one of The projection of these narrow bands will be facilitated bythe employment of guides in the' place of the missing half.

To economize time in the making of these films it is advantageous tomake a counter type negative, that is to say, to print, in the mannerindicated, a positive regular in density and complete. From this firstpositive a second negative is made which is now double and of uniformdensity. With this double negative (which can be divided into partsaccording to the size of the developin frames or according to the manneremploy for developing,) definite positives are made exactly as with asimple negative with the advantage of printing two pictures at the sametime and without requiring to change the light after each part.

Finally, it is to be remarked that ordinary negatives can be utilized,such as are obtained by old methods, in conjunction with the presentinvention, by inserting during the exposure between the said negativesand the positives being exposed the same deformer or reducer used intaking pictures in the present process.

- In lieu of deforming the picture on the negative by the reduction toone-half of one of its sides, the contrary method of working may beused, that is to say, to employ in the machine for taking the picturesan object glass capable of giving with the same photographic field apicture having both sides half the dimensions of ordinary pictures, incombination with a deformer enlarging only one of the two sides, eitherthe horizontal or the vertical side. There will thus be obtained anegative identical with that obtained in the manner above described. Therest of the procedure remains unvaried.

I claim- 1. The art of producing moving pictures, which comprisesdeforming the picture on the film by reducing one of its dimensions to afraction thereof and projecting the deformed picture through. a deformerto reconstruct the projection to normal proportions.

2. The art of producing moving picturesfwhich comprises deforming thepicture on the film by reducing its vertical dimension to a fraction ofits height without reducing the optical field, and projecting thepicture through a deformer to reconstruct the projection to normalproportions.

3. The art of producing moving pictures, which comprises deforming thepictures on the film by reducing their vertical dimension to a fractionof their height Without reducing the optical field and without reducingthe travel of the film, thereby forming a series of pictures havinginterspaces between the individual pictures on a fraction of the samedimensions of the 2.;

the film and producing a similar series of normal picture. deformedpictures in said interspaces, and In witness whereof I have herelmto setprojecting the ictures through adeformer my hand in presence oftwowitnesses. 5' to reconstruct t e projection to normal pro- ERNESTOZOLLINGER". portions.

4, In the art of projecting moving pic-- Witnesses: tures, a film-havingpictures thereon de- A EUGENIO G. B. COSETIA formed to reduce one oftheir dimensions to JocELYN O. SOUBEYRAN.

